Path indicator device for golf practice machines



March 20, 1951 H. R. SMITH 2,545,634

PATH INDICATOR DEVICE FOR GOLF PRACTICE MACHINES Filed Feb. 16, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

I 3 ,1 HARVEY E. SMITH :E BY 8 n {M F g w ATTORNEYS March 1951 H. R. SMITH 2,545,534

PATH INDICATOR DEVICE FOR GOLF PRACTICE MACHINES Filed Feb. 16, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT HARVEY R5 H WJ'M v 21g Z ATTORNEYS .50 Y BY Patented Mar. 20,1951- PATH INDICATOR DEVICE FOR GOLF PRACTICE MACHINES 'Harvey R. Smith, Ann Arbor, Mich. Application February 16, 1948, Serial No.8,642

Claims.

This invention relates to path indicating devices which are intended for use particularly in conjunction with golf ball practice driving machines, such as those of the type described in my copending patent application Serial No. 8,641, filed February 16, 1948, although they may have other applications as well. For convenience, the

invention is herein illustratively described by reference to its application to the particular machine disclosed in my copending application just referred to.

Viewed from its broadest aspects, the object of my present invention is to provide a system of display which reveals. instantly and prominently to the eye of the player. the equivalent of each practice driving stroke, in terms of the predicted path or trajectory of an actual golf ball in flight Commensurate with these purposes, a broad feature of the invention resides in an illuminated display board on which appear selected illuminated lines of a shape, length and orientation which are approximately the miniature counterparts of ball trajectories, as the trace or path of a struck ball would actually appear in plan view on a golf course. The illuminated trajectory image thus appearing on the board possesses length, direction and curvature, corresponding to the predicted driving distance, angular deviation, and slice or hook, respectively, of a simulated golf ball struck in practice.

As another feature of the invention the illumi- I nation of the board is controlled b selective switching circuits coactin together to energize electric lights appropriately located behind the board, in accordance with their response to ac- I tuation-by suitable indicator control devices in oorporated in the associated-practice driving machine. At the convenience or whim of the player the trajectory images may be retained on the board for any desired length of time, and until the driving apparatus is reset for a succeeding practice play, or the board may be cleared im- (Cl. 177 ss4) golfer, the results were not as encouraging as they might have been because of the awkward, unsuitable modes employed of indicating to him the results of each practice drive, to inform him of its defects and to provide quantitative indices as a guide for improvement. The indication presented was of such abstract form as'to delay the player while interpretating the data into the de sired mental image, and frequently indication was not presented in a sufficiently accessible location for viewing conveniently without changing his position or stance. Moreover, qualitatively different defects were indicated separately, if at all, requiring the player to coordinate them mentally.

Best results can only be achieved when the player can concentrate wholly on overcoming apsions when he is at no time required to shift his position or delay in executing repeated plays.

Continuity and stroke-by-stroke comparisons are of particular importance in the practice. Hinged upon the technique of picturing the results of each play in prominent graphic form, the present mediately of its existing indication in readiness for another.

In the past, whenever captive ball practice driving machines have been employed to facilitate the "development of playing control and form of a invention offers advantages not present in previous devices. I

Moreover, a coach or observer standing well out of the players way can observe readily both the form of the player and the indicated results of his drive illuminated on the display board, as a basis of suggestions for improvement or of evaluating the players skill. Because of its detached nature, the display board may be set up at any convenient point, requiring only the use of connecting wires between the driving apparatus and the board.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of my improved path indicator will become further apparent from the following description which is based upon the accompanyin drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the lights and. their control circuits of my path indicator device in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a front elevation view of my display board in vertical position.

. Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the indicator with parts broken away, the reference point 0 in both of Figures 2 and 3 indicating the portion shown in Figure 3. I

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on a centerline of the indicator, intersecting reference point a and light D in Figure 3, to show Figure 5 illustrates the manner of mounting plastic rods employed in such arrangement.

In my said copending patent application I describe practice driving apparatus for producing, with respect to the manner in which a simulated golf ball in the apparatus is struck, indications or utilizable manifestations of its equivalent driving distance, angular deviation, and slice or hook curvature. In addition, the disclosure there includes a simplified form of my presently disclosed and claimed path indicating device. In order to simplify the present descriptilon of my indicating device, reference may be made to my copending application for an understanding of the preferred control function and mode of actuation of certain control circuit elements, which in any event are merely representative and, insofar as certain basic features of my present invention are concerned, may be replaced by equivalent control elements capable of controlling energization of its display means to be described later herein. Such control elements include the three double switch contacts i19- il'd, l'!2ll8, and l14l8fi engageable selectively with corresponding triplet groups of stationary sets of contacts HEY-H6,- H2'H8", and l74-I8l'.- The number of contacts in each of these sets corresponds to the number of different angular deviations of the ball to be indicated, for example in response to the expected angular deviation from the intended path of aim of a golf ball corresponding to the element struck. A contact in one or the other group of contacts in each of the three stationary sets will be engaged by the corresponding contact of the proper pair of moving contacts.

In addition, arranged in series with each pair of movable deviation indicator contacts, is a slice-or-hook switch 202 having fixed, opposite contacts 206 and 208, one or the other of which is engaged by the switch arm 201, depending upon and whenever the simulated golf ball element in the machine is struck in such manner as to cause it to turn in one direction or the other about an upright axis, as would effect a slice or book of a golf ball. Holding relays I98 and 494, actuated by the slice-or-hook switch 202,- thereafter maintain closed the desired light illuminating circuit in the display board, even though the switch returns to its central position. The normally closed relay I84, which actuates an intermediate illuminating circuit when the simulated golf ball does not turn appreciably, is energized to hold open its switch controlling such intermediate illuminating circuit when either of the relays 199 and I94 is energized.

A coin and time-controlled switch 204, which may be used to restrict the use of the machine to paying customers, is located between one side of the line and hook-and-slice switch 2'02. Acting as a switch element between the other side of the line and the side of the light bank opposite the deviation switches, is the follower plate 65,

. engageable with selected numbers of the stationary switch contacts 51 in accordance with the driving distance corresponding to the force with which the simulated gold element is struck. In addition, the follower plate 86 controls illumination of a short-distance light, in a manner to be described. Lights for illuminating the display board generally are energized automatically when a coin is deposited in the coin-and-time controlled switch 28-4, to indicate that the apparatus has been placed in operation.

As illustrated best in Figure 2, the golf ball fiight path indications are produced on a display board B by illumination of selected lights of a bank mounted in the board. These lights are disposed in rows, preferably arranged in fan shape, behind an opaque screen S having translucent lines conforming to such rows of lights, respectively, which overlie the lights.

The board B may be rectangular and the screen S marked on in distance intervals of 50 yards by concentric arcuate lines as shown in Figure 2. The generally radiating flight path lines may or may not be marked in a manner to be visible when the corresponding indicator lights are not energized. In fact, the direction of flight may be perceived sufiiciently accurately simply by noting which of the lines of lights is illuminated, even without actual flight path lines being provided.

In order to present a substantially continuous line of light along the indicated flight path of the golf ball, instead of a series of spaced light dots or bright spots on the board at the location of the individual lights, I employ a rod T of Lucite (polymerized methyl methacrylate) bent in the form of an L, over each light (Figures 3, t and 5). One end of each rod is positioned in receiving position directly above a light, from which the rod extends directly to a point near the screen S, where the rod bends outward and extends for the remainder of its length parallel to the screen and behind it. All the rods for each line of lights are aligned with such respective line, and the sides of the rods parallel and adjacent to screen S are roughened or frosted to cause them to luminesce, in accordance with the properties of Lucite, when the respective lights are illuminated. The outer ends of the tubes away from the lights may be shielded, such as by being covered with black paint, for example, to prevent a diffusion of light from them over the board and consequent deceptive indications. The bent Lucite tubes may be held in clips 26!! mounted on supports 20! (see Figures 4 and 5).

The lights L in the board (Figures 1 and 3), are mounted in rows defined by the generally radial lines R emanating approximately from a common point of origin 0 located at the bottom of the screen. Such radial lines R are segregated into a plurality of groups of three rows each, with subscripts h, m, and s, aifixed to the letter R, the letter h signifying hook, the letter s, slice, and the letter m signifying no hook or slice in the flight of the golf ball. The lines Rm are straight radial lines, whereas the lines Rs and Rh, of each group simulating the path of a sliced or hooked golf ball, curve progressively more divergently from the central line Rm.

Each of the groups, having radial lines Rh, Rm and Rs, corresponds to a different typical angular deviation of flight of a golf ball from the line of aim, the groups being spread out evenly in fan shape. One of the groups oriented centrally of the board corresponds to the flight path of a golf ball struck in alignment with the path of aim, even though with a glancing blow, instead of squarely, as would impart hook or slice curvature to a golf ball.

Groups of lights arranged angularly to the left or right of the central group correspond to predetermined degrees of deviation from a central path which a golf ball struck similarly to the simulated golf ball element would follow. If the deviation would not have been more than five degrees either side of a straight course, a row of the central group of lights would be illuminated. If the deviation were from five to ten degrees one side or the other of 2.

straight course, a line of lights in the appropriate group next to the central group would be illuminated, whereas if the deviation would have been more than ten degrees either side of a straight course, a row of lights in the appropriate group second from the central group would be illuminated. Any selected number of such lateral groups may be provided to indicate whatever increments of deviation desired.

In the same way a reasonable range of error as tohook and slice can be permitted before the left or right row of lights in any given group is illuminated instead of the central row. The degree of such allowance will, of course, be determined by the sensitivity of the hook or slice switch 202.

Each radiating row of lights may be composed of any desired number of lights arranged in sequence, each light corresponding to an increment of driving distance, so that the same number of lights in any row will correspond to the same distance. Consequently the lights not only will be arranged in radiating rows as described above, but also corresponding lights in all the rows will lie on respective concentric circular arcs having their centers at the point of origin 0. Such accurate rows of lights are designated in Figure 1 as CI, C2, C3, etc., designating progressively greater driving distances.

4 As in my said copending application, when the simulated golf ball in the machine is struck, follower plate 65, as a switching element,'is moved from an initial position into a driving-distanceindication switching position where it contacts one or more of the stationary switch contacts I 50, the number thus contacted representing the may correspond to yards of range, with the inmost row representing a minimum indicated drive of yards, for example. The range indication may be extended inwardly to a smaller minimum distance if desired, although this is unnecessary for most players.

Whenever the equivalent driving distance of the impact on the simulated golf ball of the prac tice driving machine is less than the minimum indicated distance of 50 yards on the board, a short-distance or dubbed shot light D located and showing through screen S adjacent to the point I] illuminates. Thus whenever, upon the simulated golf ball element being struck, the follower plate 66 fails to reach the first contact I58 a circuit is formed from energized lead I56 through brush contact 54, through the follower plate 56, through a second brush contact positioned to engage follower plate 66, through light D, and energizing lead I86 energized with opposite polarity relative to lead I56. Return lead I86 is shown broken for convenience in drawing, as indicated by the letter a. Contact 55 engages follower plate 66 at a point spaced from contact 54, lengthwise of the follower plate, at which its contact with the plate is broken at the time such plate engages the first of contacts I50. An insulating spot 55' on the follower plate is located to engage brush 55 when the plate is in itsv initial position to prevent'light D from glowing normally.

With circumferential rows of lights connected to one end of an energizing circuit through contacts I50 actually engaged by plate 56, and a selected radial row of lights connected to the other end of such circuit by the deviation and hook-and-slice switching elements previously described, the circuit will be completed to the appropriate radial line of lights over the proper distance corresponding to the driving force imparted to the simulated golf ball element when struck. More specifically, the hook-and-slice switch 292, through a switch of one or another of the relays I84, I90 and I94, and the corresponding one of the path deviation doubleswitches ITO-I16, I'I2I'I8, and I'M-I88 determines in which radial row of a radial group lights will be illuminated, whereas the extent of movement of the double contact deviation switch thus selected fixes the particular group in which the row is thus determined. If there is no hook or slice neither of contacts 2% and 20,8 of switch 282 will, be engaged, leaving relays I90 and I94 unenergized, which in turn causesrelay I84 to remain closed to energize lights in a central row Rm of the proper radial group selected by the deviation indicating switch members. The degree of movement of switch plate 65 into engagement withcontacts I59 then determines the number of lights in such row which will be energized.

It will therefore be evident that the operation of my path indicating device is as follows: A coin is first deposited in the coin-and-time-controlled switch 294 to energize the system. This is indicated by the immediate illumination of the lights I51. Before the simulated ball element in the practice driving machine is struck the board is otherwise dark. All the relays are deenergized,

so that the switches of relays I90 and I94 are open, and that of relay I8 1 is closed. The double contacts I'IiiI'I6, I12I'I8, and I'ItI8Il of the deviation switch mechanism rest in engagement with the inmost stationary contacts to which.

driving distance to be indicated on the board, 60

thereby establishing one leg or portion of the energizing circuit for the appropriate inner arcuate rows of lights in the indicator bank, behind screen S. Also all the double switches of the deviation switch devices are moved conjointl'y in one direction or the other into engagement with the appropriate stationary contacts if the simulated ball element is struck with any angular element. Additionally the hook-or-slice switch 292 will be actuated in one direction or the other if there is either hook or slice present in the drive. If the simulated ball element is hooked sufiiciently the switch arm 20! will be deflected to the left to engage contact 206 to energize relay- I94 and switch I'M, which will select a row of lights Rh. If the simulated ball element is sliced, arm 2!]? will be deflected to the right to engage contact 208, thereby energizing relay E95 and switch I12, completing the energizing circuit to the lights of row Rs. Otherwise, if arm 26? of switch 202 is not actuated with sufficient force to cause it to engage either terminal 208 or 258 none of the relays Will be energized and the row of lights Rm will be illuminated.

The practicing player therefore can observe immediately the effect of a practice drive in terms of flight direction, distance and curvature. He knows at a glance in what sense correction or improvement is to be made in his manner of play. The display board may be sufficiently large and prominent that a coach or other observer may also observe the result of play. Thus players may compete against each other in practice games by the use of the board, or by using two such boards and machines.

I claim as my invention:

1. Golf ball path-indicator means in the form of a display board comprising a plurality of indicator elements in said board, arranged in generally radial lines having a common point of origin, and additionally arranged in arcuate rows along such lines of progressively increasing radius centered approximately at such point of origin, said generally radial lines being arranged in an odd number of groups greater than one, each incorporating an odd number of such lines, such groups being circumferentially spaced apart uniformly, each of such groups including a central line of lights extending radially from said point of origin, to define a straight flight path, and corresponding lines on opposite sides of said central line, divergent and curved outwardly from said central line to define, respectively, hook and slice flight paths, and energizing circuit means for said lights including deviation indication switch means operable to select the particular group in which lights are to be illuminated, slice and hook indication switch means operable to select the particular line of such group in which lights are to be illuminated, and distance indication switch means operable to select the number of lights to be illuminated in such selected line of such selected group, arranged together in series.

2. Golf ball path-indicator means in the form of a display board comp-rising a plurality of indicator elements in said board, arranged in groups of generally radial lines all having a common point of origin, and additionally arranged in arcuate rows along such lines of progressively increasing radius centered approximately at such point of origin, and energizing circuit means for said lights including deviation indication switch means operable to select the particular group in which lights are to be illuminated, slice and hook indication switch means operable to select the particular line of such group in which lights are to be illuminated, and distance indication switch means adapted to connect to one side of said energizing circuit means corresponding terminals of all the lights in rows corresponding to flight distances less than and equal to the flight distance to be indicated, said deviation indication switch means being adapted to connect to the other side of said energizing circuit means the opposite terminals of all the lights in such particular selected line of lights which represents the angular flight deviation and hook or slice of the golf ball to be indicated.

3, Golf ball path-indicator means in the form.

of a display board comprising a plurality of indicator elements in said board, arranged in generally radial lines having a common point of origin, and additionally arranged in arcuate rows along such lines of progressively increasing radius centered approximately at such point of origin, said generally radial lines bein arranged in an odd number of groups, greater than one, each incorporating an odd number of such lines, such groups being circumferentially spaced apart uniformly, each of such groups including .a central line of lights extending radia1ly from said point of origin, to define a straight flight path, and correspondin lines on opposite sides of said central line, divergent and curved outwardly from said central line to define, respectively, hook and slice flight paths, and energizing circuit means for said lights including distance indication switch means adapted to connect to one side of said energizing circuit means corresponding terminals of all the lights in rows corresponding to flight distances less than and equal to the flight distance to be indicated, a plurality of hook-and-slice circuits common, respectively, to correspondin lines of lights in all of said groups, separate deviation indication switch means in each of said hookand-slice circuits, each adapted to connect its hook-and-slice circuit to the opposite terminals of all the lights in the corresponding hook andslice line of a selected group which group represents the angular flight deviation of the golf ball to be indicated, and slice-and-hook indication switch means adapted to connect to the other side of said energizing circuit means an selected one or said hook-and-slice circuits, corresponding to the line of lights in such selected group which represents the slice or book curvature of flight of the golf ball to be indicated With the flight deviation and distance to be indicated.

4. Golf ball path-indicator means comprising a flared bank of indicator lights including at least three angularly spaced radial groups of lines of lights, each such group including a substantially straight line of lights and at each side thereof a curved line of lights, the convex sides of such curved lines being adjacent to the straight line and such curved lines diverging progressively away from said straight line substantially from one end of the line group to the other, each group of lines of lights representing the general course direction of an indicated golf ball flight path, and the curved lines of each such group representing hook and slice curvature, respec tively, in such general course direction and the straight line representing approximately linear travel in such general course direction, energizing circuit means adapted to energize said indicator lights, direction switching means operable to connect in said circuit selectively one group of indicator lights correspondin to a general course direction to be indicated, hook-and-slice switching means operable to complete one side of the energizing circuit for only the line of lights in said selected group corresponding to the flight path curvature to be indicated, and distance switching means operable to complete the opposite side of the energizing circuit for only the lights in the selected line out to the desired distance to be indicated.

5. The golf ball path-indicator means defined in claim 4, wherein the innermost lights of the lines of lights are arranged substantially on the arc of a circle of appreciable radius, which radius represents an appreciable minimum driving distance to be indicated, a single short-distance light iocated approximately at the center of such arc, and short-distance switch means operable to connect said short-distance light in the energizing circuit for energization to represent a ball driven to less than the minimum distance corresponding to the innermost lights of the lines of lights.

HARVEY R. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,166,218 Jackson Dec. 28, 1915 2,179,891 Kaplan Nov. 14,1939 2,331,237 Schaefer Oct. 5, 1943 

